The church consists of a chancel, nave with N aisle and red brick W tower. The nave was rebuilt in 1812-13, the N aisle in 1837 and the chancel in 1851 when the rest was modernised. The brick W tower is 17thc. On the S side of the tower is a re-set tympanum, the only Romanesque feature.

Hawksworth is mentioned in the Domesday Survey as being in the lands of Walter D'Aincourt.

The inscription on the tympanum may have been recut, at which point the 'ECCLESIAM' may have been changed to its current reading, although that portion of the inscription is very decayed. The two diminutive figures have been variously described as either the two thieves on their crosses (Cox) or an angel to the W (L) and a saint, possibly St John, to the E (R) (Oswald). The tympanum has been dated to the early 12thc. (Pevsner) and Oswald discusses the identity of the 'Walter' referred to in the inscription, possibly one of the D'Aincourts. The tympanum is set some 15ft (4.6 m) from the ground so is difficult to measure, but it appears to be approximately 1.5 m wide.

It was reported in the Ancient Monuments Society and Friends of Friendless Churches joint Newsletter in 2020 that the tympanum 'is to be relocated for safekeeping and display into the interior'. It should also be noted that only the chancel is consecrated as the nave is now a community centre.